If you have to provide some initial troubleshooting support by phone [or email], and you don't have access to the user's PC itself, what is the easiest and most foolproof question one can ask of the user to find out if the 'dumb' user is using either Windows 7 or Windows Vista?

For example: determining if the user has either Windows XP or Windows Vista/7 is easy. Just ask the user if the button at the left bottom corner is (a) either square with the word 'Start' on it, or (b) it is a round button.

But how do you determine the difference between Vista and 7?

Edit: For all the existing answers the user has to type something, and do it correctly. Sometimes even that is already hard for a computer illiterate user. My XP example just requires looking. If it exists (although I am afraid it doesn't), I think a solution that is just based on something this is visually different between Vista and 7 would stand above all others. (Which makes Dan's suggestion to turn over the box and look at the label" not so stupid). Perhaps the small 'show desktop' rectangle at the right side of the task bar (was that present in Vista)?

And pressing Escape ("the key at the top left of your keyboard") takes them back. I like this solution. Only problem might be people who have never pressed more than two keys at the same time, let alone three.
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RabarberskiMar 16 '12 at 14:10

19

Doing it at the phone could be hard... Pressing 3 buttons while holding a phone.
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PatrickMar 16 '12 at 14:29

7

Doesn't work in Windows 8! :) (I know that it wasn't part of the question).
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DManMar 16 '12 at 23:38

4

@Dman: what happens when you do this on Windows 8?
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RabarberskiMar 17 '12 at 12:11

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Good suggestion, but I don't really think it is useful for 'dumb' users. The first question that will pop up is "what's the pause key? where is it?". Second, if they managed to find it, and if they use a laptop, they might have to press an alternate key (or how do you call these blue keys), like I have to. Third, between all the information in the dialog box, they have to find the OS description. Too hard. Don't understand all the upvotes.
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RabarberskiMar 16 '12 at 13:50

4

-1. This is not 'foolproof' at all for the 'dumb' user. The Ctrl-Alt-Del answer is much simpler.
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houbysoftMar 16 '12 at 13:53

4

Exactly. You are not going to find a simpler way that covers all the major versions of Windows than this. If they can't locate two keys and then read from the screen then I fail to understand how they can operate a computer at all (blind or otherwise disabled people excepted).
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Alan BMar 16 '12 at 16:45

+1 very nice, the first answer with no user interaction, just visual inspection like the XP and Vista/7 example in the OP.
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Scott ChamberlainMar 16 '12 at 18:13

1

Note that the difference is in the rectangle that will let you peak to the desktop behind all the active windows.
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Ivo Flipse♦Mar 17 '12 at 23:18

2

How would you describe it to a novice over the phone, and how would they be able to understand and explain what they see back? And yes, if they are using a different theme, it can look different (in Classic Windows mode it will look like a little square with a picture in it).
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SynetechJun 7 '12 at 17:05

You just press Win+R then type winver and press Enter. Not too tricky.
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MackeMar 17 '12 at 21:41

1

I like it because it's minimalist. Sometimes, end users don't know what information you want them to read out, so they read everything. What does the program say? It says File... Edit... View... Tools... ... Winver has Windows 7 written in nice big friendly letters.
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Adam ThompsonMar 18 '12 at 2:03

And the customer might not have an Internet connection, or it just might not work. For example, the customer might have called because the Internet connection was not working...
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vszMar 16 '12 at 17:17

If you're looking for the best solution for the computer illiterate (as an example, traversing computer -> properties), think the easiest way would to have them 'lock' their account (from the start menu).

It could go like this:

Please click the icon in the bottom left

See where it says "Shutdown?" on the right of the menu just popped up? Click the little arrow to the right of it.

Choose "Lock"

Centered near the bottom, it should say "Windows 7" or "Windows Vista," which is it?

There are plenty of ways to tell, but I think that's the quickest when dealing with people that would have problems traversing multiple menus.

Another option would be to ask them to open one of the accessories that come with windows (calc, notepad) and use the About command from the Help menu. If they know how to get to notepad or calculator then this will be rather easy.

If they don't, getting them to open it might not be as simple, so go with some of the other answers here.

This only works if somebody hasn't replaced Task Manager with something else. On my machine it says Process Explorer v12.03. I realized that the inexperienced user won't have done this, but somebody else might have done it for them.
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Wayne JohnstonMar 17 '12 at 21:39

4

if they are able to do this, then they should be able to figure out what system they are using.
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g24lMar 17 '12 at 22:54

(If possible) Ask them to reboot and to describe the boot screen animation. Windows Vista has a pulsating Windows orb (like the Start button, only pulsating.) Windows 7 has the four colors of the Windows flag fly together (see Youtube examples below.)

These two boot screens are, I believe, the most visually distinct feature between the two versions.

Since you are looking for a visual distinction, perhaps the most notable is the task bar. In default Windows 7, the task bar buttons are squares and have no text but big icons. Windows Vista has rectangular task bar buttons and text besides the icon.

Perhaps if you could ask the user to try to do what he's usually doing with the computer (browsing, reading mails, ...), and then ask him to read the text in the task bar if there is any? Or ask about the shape of the newly appeared button?

The simplest way is to lock at the buttom of the screen. The open windows bar. On Vista there are the old long windows, but on windows 7 there is boxes with open programs. If less you have modified windows, but then I think you know if you use Vista or 7.